William James Basinski
Basinski is best known for his four-volume album The Disintegration Loops (2002–2003), constructed from gradually decaying twenty-year-old tapes of his earlier music.
Biography
Early life
William James Basinski was born in 1958 in Houston, Texas.
He was raised in a Catholic family,
and states that he had his first "really mystical, wonderful, magical" musical experiences as an infant at Houston's St. Anne Church.
His father was a scientist contracted to
NASA, which caused the family to move often.
Basinski says he knew that he was gay from an early age.
A classically trained clarinetist, Basinski studied jazz saxophone and composition at the University of North Texas in the late 1970s. In 1978 inspired by Minimal music such as Steve Reich and Brian Eno,
Career
His first release was
Shortwavemusic. Although created in 1983, it was first released on vinyl in a small edition in 1998 by
Carsten Nicolai's
Raster-Noton sub-label. This was followed by
Watermusic, self-released in 2000 on Basinski's 2062 Records. Another 2-disc work was
Variations: A Movement in Chrome Primitive, 1980: it was finally released in 2004 by
David Tibet on the
Durtro/Die Stadt label. At the time this work was created, Basinski was experimenting with compositions for piano and tape loops.
Throughout the 1980s, Basinski created a vast archive of experimental works using tape loop and delay systems, found sounds, and shortwave radio static. He was a member of many bands including Gretchen Langheld Ensemble and House Afire. In 1989 he opened his own performance space, "Arcadia" at 118 N. 11th Street.
In August and September 2001 he set to work on what would become his most recognizable piece, the four-volume album The Disintegration Loops. The recordings were based on old tape loops which had degraded in quality. While attempting to salvage the recordings in a digital format, the tapes slowly crumbled and left a timestamp history of their demise.
Discography
Studio albums
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Shortwavemusic (recorded in 1982, released in 1998, Raster-Noton)
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Watermusic (released in 2001, 2062)
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The Disintegration Loops (2002, 2026)
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The River (recorded in 1983, released in 2002, Raster-Noton)
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The Disintegration Loops II (2003, 2026)
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The Disintegration Loops III (2003, 2026)
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The Disintegration Loops IV (2003, 2026)
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Watermusic II (released in 2003, 2062)
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Melancholia (released in 2003, 2062)
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A Red Score in Tile (1979, released in 2003, Three Poplars)
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Variations: A Movement in Chrome Primitive (created in 1981, released in 2004, Durtro/Die Stadt)
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Silent Night (2004, 2062)
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The Garden of Brokenness (2006, 2062)
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Variations for Piano and Tape (2006, 2062)
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El Camino Real (2007, 2062)
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92982 (2009, 2062)
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Vivian & Ondine (2009, 2062)
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Nocturnes (2013, 2062)
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Cascade (2015, 2062)
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The Deluge (2015, 2062)
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A Shadow in Time (2017, 2062)
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On Time Out of Time (2019, Temporary Residence Limited)
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Hymns of Oblivion (2020, self-released)
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Lamentations (2020, Temporary Residence Limited)
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The Clocktower at the Beach (1979) (2023, Line)
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September 23rd (2024, Temporary Residence Limited)
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The Disintegration Loops – Arcadia Archive Edition (2025, Temporary Residence Limited)
Collaborations
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Untitled (2004, Spekk)
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Aurora Liminalis (2013, Line)
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Divertissement (2015, Important Records)
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Selva Oscura (2018, Temporary Residence Limited)
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" . . . on reflection " (2022, Temporary Residence Limited)
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Aurora Terminalis (2025, Line)
Compilation albums
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The Disintegration Loops (2012, Temporary Residence Limited)
Film scores
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Pursuit of Loneliness (2012)
See also
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List of ambient music artists
External links
